Abstract
Levels of dietary choline in utero influence postnatal cognitive performance. To better understand this phenomenon, forebrain cholinergic neurons were studied in the 8–9 month old offspring of dams fed a control or choline-deficient diet from EDs 11–17. Serial sections were immunostained with antibodies against p75, a cholinergic marker. Neuronal morphology was analyzed in the basal forebrain, a heterogeneous area composed of several structures including the medial septal nucleus (MSN), nucleus of the diagonal band (DB), and the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NB). Neuronal cross-sectional areas were selectively reduced in the MSN of choline-deficient animals, compared to controls, but cell counts were not altered. Our findings suggest that cholinergic medial septal neurons may be selectively vulnerable to in utero choline deficiency.
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